NHTSA Calls For Urgent Repairs of Certain Honda and Acura Models Due to Takata Airbags

Owners of 2001 to 2003 Acura and Honda models, get to your dealer ASAP according to NHTSA!

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent warning to owners of certain 2001 to 2003 Honda and Acura model to stop driving them due to these models being equipped with Takata airbags.

Lab tests done by NHTSA revealed that the airbag inflator in these vehicles have a 50 percent chance of the bag rupturing, causing metal shards to enter the interior and possibly injuring or even killing a person.

"With as high as a 50 percent chance of a dangerous air bag inflator rupture in a crash, these vehicles are unsafe and need to be repaired immediately. Folks should not drive these vehicles unless they are going straight to a dealer to have them repaired immediately, free of charge," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

The vehicles involved include,

2001-2002 Honda Accord

2001-2002 Honda Civic

2002 Honda CR-V

2002 Honda Odyssey

2003 Honda Pilot

2002-2003 Acura 3.2 TL

2003 Acura 3.2CL

According to NHTSA, there 313,000 vehicles that need to have their airbags replaced.

One of the main causes for the rupturing is moisture getting inside the inflator. Vehicles in high humid areas such as Florida are susceptible to this.

In a statement, Honda agreed with NHTSA's findings and urged owners to get their vehicles to a dealer as soon as possible.

NHTSA calls on news media and public to assist in finding unrepaired high-risk vehicles

WASHINGTON – New test data on a particular subset of defective Takata air bag inflators in certain model-year 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles show a far higher risk of ruptures during air bag deployment, prompting an urgent call from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to ensure that unrepaired vehicles in this population are found and fixed before they cause further injuries or fatalities.

“With as high as a 50 percent chance of a dangerous air bag inflator rupture in a crash, these vehicles are unsafe and need to be repaired immediately,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Folks should not drive these vehicles unless they are going straight to a dealer to have them repaired immediately, free of charge.”

The higher-risk inflators are in certain 2001-2003 Honda and Acura vehicles:

2001-2002 Honda Civic

2001-2002 Honda Accord

2002-2003 Acura TL

2002 Honda CR-V

2002 Honda Odyssey

2003 Acura CL

2003 Honda Pilot

The air bag inflators in these particular vehicles contain a manufacturing defect which greatly increases the potential for dangerous rupture when a crash causes the air bag to deploy. Ruptures are far more likely in inflators in vehicles that have spent significant periods of time in areas of high absolute humidity—particularly Florida, Texas, other parts of the Gulf Coast, and Southern California. Testing of the inflators from these vehicles show rupture rates as high as 50 percent in a laboratory setting.

The vehicles in question were recalled between 2008 and 2011. Honda has reported that more than 70 percent of this higher-risk population of vehicles has already been repaired, but approximately 313,000 vehicles with this very dangerous defect remain unrepaired. The risk posed by the airbag inflators in these vehicles is grave, and it is critical they be repaired now to avoid more deaths and serious injuries.

NHTSA and Honda are asking for the news media and public’s assistance to find the remaining unrepaired vehicles. Drivers of these vehicles should immediately visit SaferCar.gov to check whether their vehicle has any outstanding safety recalls. Those that do should contact their nearest dealer to schedule a no-cost immediate repair. Replacement parts for these vehicles are available immediately.

“The air bag inflators in this particular group of vehicles pose a grave danger to drivers and passengers that must be fixed right away,” said NHTSA Administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind. "Drivers should visit SaferCar.gov or contact their local dealer to check whether their vehicle is affected. If it is, they should have the vehicle repaired immediately for free at an authorized dealer. We commend Honda for taking additional actions to get these vehicles repaired.”

Though the vehicles are already under recall, NHTSA ordered Takata to perform additional ballistic testing following recent reports of ruptures. Eight of the 10 confirmed U.S. fatalities due to Takata ruptures — including the most recent in Fort Bend County, Texas — were in this population of vehicles.

Honda has committed to immediately taking additional actions to enhance their efforts to find and fix recalled vehicles. Honda will provide additional information about their efforts. NHTSA has also directed Honda to report weekly on the progress of vehicle repairs.

NHTSA is also expanding its own direct consumer outreach, including a paid media campaign and a series of outreach events in high-risk areas this summer. NHTSA has also engaged the vehicle insurance industry to help locate the unremedied vehicles.

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UGLY! How does this not get fixed after it being an issue for so long?

Honda builds excellent engines but little else really excels. Actually, they do not ahve good Turbo or hybrid technology, or good Truck engine technology, so they basically do very good and basic automobile V6 and fours that are naturally aspirated. Compare that to GM or any other full line car maker and.....you get the picture.

Kinda sad that they are willing to ditch the V8. I Hope that GM/Ford/FCA does not make the same error, especially when it comes to trucks. . . . at least until BEVs can really carry the load of a typical full-size pickup.